The 87th Hunger Games
by Galaxy14
Summary: Welcome to the 87th Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor   rated T for simply being about the Hunger Games
1. Prologue: The Tributes

87th Hunger Games

_**A/N: hey everyone, just to make this clear I do NOT own the Hunger Games. The only thing I do own in this particular story are a few of the characters. Anyway, the results are in and this is the final list of tributes to compete in the 87th Hunger Games! So, "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be **_**ever**_** in your favour."**_

_**District 1 **__(luxury items)_

Shine Ventori

Parker Jacobs*

_**District 2 **__(stone mining/peacekeepers)_

Katerina Emerald

Gregorio*

_**District 3 **__(electronics)_

Rockella Breens

Herring Stones

_**District 4 **__(fishing)_

Brenna Casey

Axel Karnen

_**District 5 **__(science)_

Aspen*

Creed*

_**District 6 **__(medicine)_

Anastasia Parks

Zeb*

_**District 7 **__(lumber)_

Blair de Vanna

Joshua Quentin*

_**District 8 **__(textiles)_

Honora*

Ignacio*

_**District 9 **__(food processing)_

Elizabeth Saunders*

Lark*

_**District 10 **__(livestock)_

Kat Helenbrook

Dominic Hades

_**District 11 **__(agriculture)_

Gypsy Wesson

River Lenin

_**District 12 **__(coal mining) _

Vanadium Elizaveta

Clayton*

* = minor characters

~and here's a big thanks to: **xxPercyTwilightLovesAnimexx,** **lady knight acire of narnia**, **skyeblue5565**, and **MadolynMichele** for submitting characters!~


	2. Chapter 1: Just My Luck

**Chapter 1: Just My Luck**

The whole of District 7 stood in the center of town, which just happened to be a clearing that the founders had made. Magnificent oak trees surrounded the area and a fountain was shaped as a slender tree nymph at the center. Just behind the fountain stood a huge platform where, at the sides, rested two glass bowls with hundreds of little slips of paper. On those slips were the names of all the kids from the ages of twelve to eighteen. Nineteen of those pieces of paper held my name and I prayed to God that I wouldn't be picked.

The mayor of our district, Mayor Quentin, sat in one of the five chairs up on the platform. To his left sat his two children and at the right sat a small lady with a terrifying grin. She had pink hair and her clothes were the color of an autumn day, and the only person that could be was the ever-so-famous, Effie Trinket. The Capitol had changed everything in the past few games; she was the escort of every District now, not just one. And this was not much of a surprise, no one else wanted to be an escort from the Capitol, the people who were picked simply thought better of it and committed suicide, I'd do it too. Anyways, after everyone had huddled into the clearing the mayor finally stood and strode over to the podium at the center of the platform. He began to lecture everyone about the history of Panem.

"Panem rose from the ashes of the place people once called North America. All through the droughts, storms and fires, encroaching seas, brutal war, Panem still lived on. The Capitol shone as a beacon, a place of peace and prosperity as it ruled over the thirteen districts. But then came the Dark Days. People were foolish to rise against the Capitol and we soon found out. The districts were soon defeated and District 13 was totally devastated. But hope rose out of our foolishness, the Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace. But the yearly reminder of our irrational behavior is left to continue on today. The Hunger Games."

Mayor Quentin finally finished his speech and Effie Trinket jumps up from her seat. On her face is a look of pure joy as she makes her way to the podium. When she reaches the microphone her squeaky, annoying little voice rings out all over the clearing. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

She flashes the cameras a huge grin and saunters over to one of the glass bowls. Luckily, the boys are picked first this time. Effie reaches in and shuffles the slips around slightly and finally manages to get her fingers around one. She crosses back over to the podium and clears her throat. Everyone in the whole district was as silent as the dead of night. No one dared to move or even take a breath until Effie smoothed the slip of paper and smiled. "Joshua Quentin!"

Everyone's eyes widened in pure shock. One of the mayors' children had been picked for the Hunger Games. Nothing like this had ever happened before, Joshua's eyes were wide and I bet he was terrified. Effie turned to him and pulled him up so he would stand, "Ladies and Gentlemen for the first time the mayor's son has been chosen to take this honor of competing in the Hunger Games!"

Everyone was now cheering and yelling out Joshua's name. He is as pale as a ghost; I could see that he was aghast and probably about to pass out. But Effie put her arm around his shoulders and whispered into his ear, probably words of encouragement I would guess. Because of the fact that he was the mayors' son, I bet he had never been in the woods his entire life, and that was too bad for him. Joshua would definitely not last long in the arena.

Next were the girls. Effie twirled across the stage, trying to get the attention back on her as she made her way to the bowl with the girls' names in it. She stood on her tip-toes as she reached into the bowl, swirled her hand around then came back with one piece to the podium. "And the second tribute for the lovely District 7 is... Blair de Vanna!"

Oh no, no no no! She couldn't have just called my name! If I was going to be paired up with Joshua, I'd rather commit suicide. People were glancing around and the girls beside me were pushing me foreword, out of the crowd so everyone could see. I thought time had stopped. Everything around me was muted, all the noise, even the colors of the world around me. A few seconds later I finally pull myself together and make my way up the stairs of the podium to stand next to Joshua. Good for me that I didn't know who he was, and he didn't have a clue who I was either. Effie came over to me and tried her best to hug me but I'm not the huggy type of person, so I pushed her away without showing any sign of emotion.

You have to try your best to look emotionless because in the early stages of the Games they replay the reaping process from every district. And for every slip-up you make, there's another tribute out there just waiting to exploit that weakness. I being chosen from the reaping was just horrible. My 'family' just consisted of my father and I and I have no idea what he's going to do without me. I search for his face in the enormous crowd but I can't manage to find him. Before I could call out his name, Effie told everyone to face the flag of Panem so we could honor our country with the anthem.

I don't even know why I bother to face the flag, because I hate the country I live in. But it's not like I can just co some other place, because for all we know, we're the only country left in the world. One of the many reasons why I hate Panem is because of its name. The name Panem derives from the Latin phrase 'panem et circenses', which literally translates into 'bread and circuses'. The phrase itself is 'used to describe entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters'. Another strong reason I loathe the nation is because of its cruel and brutal rule over its districts.

Finally. The reason I hate Panem the most is because of the Hunger Games. How it treats its members so inhumanely in a fight 'til the death to see which district raises their children the best.

I could feel all eyes on me and Joshua. At the moment it felt like all eyes were on me thought because of Joshua's staring. I bet he's thinking, 'who in the world is that girl? Is she just some red-haired chick? Or should I know her from somewhere?'

And for everyone's information, my hair is not completely red. And I've never dyed my hair so it's a natural red-brown color. My hair also falls just below my shoulders in loose, but controlled, curls. I'm also about average height for a girl of fifteen years old, but standing next to Joshua it felt like I was a midget. He was well over a foot taller than me. But given the fact that he was eighteen made up for the difference, I still had plenty of time to get taller - I hope. Anyways, Joshua was pretty tall and from underneath the mop of sandy blonde hair you could just make out a pair of brilliantly hazel eyes. And for being a pampered little kid he sure was tan. In the days before Panem I guess they would dub him as a 'surfer boy'. But on the other hand I guess everyone would describe me as looking like a loner or possibly I could be dubbed as a 'surfer girl' also. I just didn't have as much of a tan as Joshua because of just basking out in the sun all day I was actually outside in the woods hunting down my prey to keep my father's little business going.

But now it's off to the Games, and as Effie would say...

"May the odds be _ever_ in your favor."


	3. Chapter 2: The Capitol

**Chapter 2: The Capitol**

Joshua and I were both transported to the Capitol by train, and for the first time in my life I wasn't riding in the first class. But the bad thing was I could possibly never ride back to my home district. Effie Trinket and a bunch Avox's come to serve Joshua and me dinner. It's a huge platter of delicately carved fruits and ginormous slabs of meat. I can't even tell what else is on the platter because the food is piled so high. And just as I'm about to dig in a tall man who couldn't be over thirty walked in. "Hello tributes. My name is Axton Flecher and I'll be your mentor for this whole tournament."

He sauntered his way over to us and shook both our hands then went on to explain who he was and why he was our mentor. I believe he said that he had won the 59th Hunger Games but I wasn't quite sure because I was busy looking at and eating the delicious food. Axton had long brown hair that was quite a bit longer in the back given the fact that he had it tied back in a ponytail. His eyes are silvery grey and they showed how passionate he was about the games.

A bit after that we had finally reached the Capitol, the lights were so bright that it looked almost like it was daylight even though it was almost midnight. The media was waiting outside on the trains' platform but Axton and Effie shooed them away so they could get us to the Remake Center to clean us up.

...

After a few problems were cleared up at the Remake Center I shoved one of the ladies on my prep team to the floor and headed to the showers. The lady's name was Meadow and she had tinted green hair and her skin was dyed a light shade of mint green. Meadow had suggested to my stylist to give me plastic surgery to make me look more attractive. Heck no to that girly! I am NOT going to be surgically enhanced by you people! Anything that involves me going unconscious when they're around is a big N-O!

After I finally found my way to the showers. I locked the door and turned the water on. That shower had to have the horsepower of a car or something because the water blasted me from every direction, but it felt pretty good after the initial shock. Minutes passed by as I just stood idly in the shower letting the water clear my mind, but that state of peace was virtually shattered when I heard a soft knock on the door. I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, then I quickly put on the clothes the prep team had given me earlier.

"Who is it?" I ask as I pull my hair back into a ponytail.

"It's Lorelei. Your stylist. And I'd like to talk to you before the games have a chance to start. So could you please come out?"

"Fine," I mutter as I unlock the door and step out of the bathroom.

"Good. Now, let's talk about outfits!"

...

A while later, which has to be somewhere around five o'clock in the morning. Lorelei is cutting my hair and rambling on and on about what I should wear for the Opening Ceremony. The one idea that she seems to be stuck on is a 'king and queen' theme. And I would dub her as that type of lady. One that obsesses over small things in school and how she looks all the time. Her appearance gives that away too. She's a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

Anyway, back to the Opening Ceremony ideas. She wants to dress me up in a long and flowy mahogany colored dress and have Joshua be my 'king' wearing a suit of the same color only a bit darker. And to my surprise Joshua has already agreed so Lorelei thinks she's got this in the bag, but I totally disagree. I'm not going to let her dress me up like a little doll, and my idea is way better than hers and last years. Last year's District 7 tributes were dressed up as lumberjacks in overalls and red plaid shirts.

But for now Lorelei sent me off to bed in one of the many rooms in the building. The room was gigantic and it seemed like the whole of District 7 could fit in there, and the bed was just as big. It could've easily fit five people. After wandering around for a few moments I headed over to the bed and climbed under the covers. The bed was comfy and I probably had the best sleep of my life.

...

I woke up around noon the day of the Opening Ceremony and was rushed off right away to see Lorelei so she could make some final touch-ups and get me into my 'revised' costume. After about another hour of getting ready Lorelei lead me into a large room which looked to be the dining room. I had my punk rocker outfit on, it was a mahogany colored t-shirt, and black skinny jeans with leather knee-high boots. And the accessories for my outfit were black studded gloves, moving onto my hair. It was cut just a bit shorter and my bangs were cut in a straight diagonal slash across my face. Joshua was already waiting there in his deep auburn colored suit - which didn't match mine at all so I was extremely happy - and Lorelei pushed me over to stand next to him as she ran out the door to go find Axton.

"Well don't you look _good_ Blair... it's nice to see that you can actually look umm... nice?" Joshua says as he flashes me a devious grin.

I glare back at him and don't reply for a long time. But then I roll my eyes and mutter, "well it looks like I've just figured out who I'm killing first in the games."

...

Axton leads us to the stables where our chariot awaits us. Axton helps me up onto the chariot and then instructs me to grab hold of bar in front to keep me steady as we ride along. "Now I want you both to look and act your best, I know you aren't the greatest friends but please try." He smiles and then reaches up and puts a small tiara on my head to just hint at the 'king and queen' theme Lorelei failed on.

I only nod and turn away from him. I can hear the announcer starting to calling out the districts. One has already gone and two through five pass by quick. Six is next and then it's us. "Next up is District 7!" the announcer calls out over the city.

The doors fly open and our chariot starts to move forward. I keep my head down for the first few seconds and focus my attention on not falling out. Then I make the mistake of looking up. What seems like thousands of televisions are showing the image of Joshua and I riding out into the square. Beside me Joshua is waving and smiling at the crowd, I finally pull myself together and smile for the crowd. Cheers rise up from the mass of people, they're all shouting our names and our district every time I hear my name call out I turn to that general direction and give the crowd a peace sign with my hand that isn't holding on so I don't fall out. But it doesn't last for long because District 8 is soon called out. The chariot then swoops around in a circle and stops near the District 6 one. I finally get to glance around to see what everyone else is wearing.

District 1 is flashy, as always. The District 2 tributes were wearing flashy outfits too, the girl was wearing an emerald green dress with the neckline swooping down dangerously low. And the boy wore a gaudy white tux, so they almost looked like us. As I moved my gaze from 2 to 3 District 3 caught my attention then. The tributes were wearing black unitards with lights woven into the fabric. They looked like circuit boards because of the ways the lights twisted and turned all over their piece of clothing. But moving on to District 4, they were wearing swimsuits. The girl wore neon blue while the guy had on orange swim trunks.

District 5 had a space theme to it but I couldn't quite make it out. District 6 was almost as forgettable as 5, they wore a doctor and a nurses outfit because their district was skilled in medicine. District 8 wore quilts that hung over their bodies like tunics and District 9, they just looked like savages. But they could be made out as cavemen, I think.

The boy from District 10 had a set of horns that could either be the real deal or fake, I couldn't tell. And the District 11 girl wore a beautiful yellow sundress. But District 12 really caught my attention, usually the last districts didn't do so well in the presentation part, but this was good. The girl had on all white but her clothes were plain. Just a t-shirt and jeans but even though her clothes were white they were sprinkled with a light dusting of coal to represent her district. And I didn't know what was up with her hair but it was white also. On the other hand, the boy from District 12 was wearing all black and didn't seem too happy just like his counterpart. The girl seemed like she was about to rip someone's head off. And I definitely didn't want to get in her way when it came time for the Games.


	4. Chapter 3: Training

**Chapter 3: Training**

The Training Center was just as everyone had described it back home in District 7. It was huge, it had spiraling towers and a glamorous glass walled elevator. And just like always the tributes from each district got one whole floor to themselves, the only bad thing about that was I had to share it with Josh. But just as soon as I was going to explore Effie burst into the room and practically yelled at us.

"Axton has already gotten you two a handful of sponsors! How great is that? We're going to be a big hit since all that business has been taken care of!"

"Wow, I didn't think we'd be that great in the first few hours of the Games," Joshua replies to her from the kitchen where he has seated himself in an intricately carved chair that could only come from District 7.

...

After another good night's rest I was woken up a loud chirping. But the outside world was blocked by a set of thick curtains covering my window. I was curious enough to get out of my bed and pull the curtains back to reveal the slender form of a mockingjay. A smile lights up my face as I see it spread its wings and dive off the balcony, its little feathers shimmered in the morning sun as it flew off to the edge of the Capitol.

Shortly after watching the bird fly off I heard a quick knock at the door. "Blair? Blair are you up? It's almost time to go, I have your clothes but I'll leave them outside your door so you can get them." The voice was that of a young man, it could've possibly been Axton, but on the other had it might not have been. So after I heard his footsteps retreat down the hall I cracked the door open and saw a small stack of clothes placed on the ground. I scooped them up and then hurriedly shut and locked the door again. Strolling over to my bed I found that the clothes were similar to that of what I usually wore in District 7. There were tight black pants and leather shoes, and a long-sleeved burgundy tunic with the number 7 stitched into the back.

After getting the clothes on and brushing my red/brown hair for a few minutes - to make sure it stayed flat - I hastily made my way to the kitchen. Everyone else was already there and to my dismay Joshua was wearing the same thing as I was. "Excuse me, but why is HE wearing the same thing as me?" I ask in a fierce tone, letting all my anger seep through.

"Calm down a minute Blair. It's standard issue for the training, don't worry," Axton replied as he stood and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Fine. Whatever you say, just as long as I don't have to be around him every second of the day," I reply. I shake Axton's hand off my shoulder and he backs away but he doesn't stop talking.

"Okay. Well today is your performance one on one with the Gamemakers. Today is the day to show 'em what your made of and at least try to get a high score, high scores mean sponsors and that means you'll get farther in the games. So good luck."

...

Effie escorted us to the gym where we'd train until the games started. The whole training area was actually the basement of our building, and it included a huge gym filled with equipment for our sessions. There were weapons of all shapes and sizes, obstacle courses, weights and a lot of other things I couldn't even tell what they were.

We were one of the last to arrive, only District 11 was behind us but as soon as they came all the tributes were herded into a circle around one very tall woman. She explained the training schedule but there was only one thing that stuck in my head. The last thing she said was, "everyone is strictly forbidden to engage in any combative exercise with another tribute."

...

About halfway into the training session I begin to look around at the other tributes. The Careers look as good as ever but one girl in particular looked very interesting, and possibly a force to be reckoned with in the arena. She was from District 2, and had long brown hair, that fell in gentle waves to her back, and her long shaggy bangs almost fell into her eyes. Her eyes were an amazing emerald green, maybe that's why she had so many guys around her at one time. I was pretty sure that was the idea though. Make them your ally then strike out and kill them.

Another little group I noticed were the two kids from District 3 and a boy from District 10. The girl from District 3 was pretty tall and had chocolate brown hair that fell in waves just above her elbows. Her eyes are an icy shade of blue and her skin is very tan. Even though she wasn't a Career tribute she'd be a big problem later. The boy from District 3 looked like he could be loosely related - kind of. He was tall, like her, but had shaggy, sun-bleached blonde hair that covers his vivid green eyes, his skin is quite pale. His eyes reminded me of the girl from District 2 but I kept glancing around at them.

The boy from District 10 noticed me looking at him and he smiled and walked over to me. He was at least a half foot taller than me and had spiky black hair. "Hey my name is Dominic. Just thought I'd come over to introduce myself cause you're taking a liking to me," he says with a smirk.

"I am not taking a liking to you! I'm just looking around at my competition," I reply quickly and manage to shove him back a step. But all Dominic does is keep smiling.

"Feisty, I like it. Hope you keep that up in the Games, it might keep you alive," Dominic mutters as he blows me a kiss and walks away.

"Ew... Jeez. He might be second on my 'to kill' list later," I mumble to myself and look around again. But this time - much to my relief - Dominic wasn't staring at me.

All by herself was the girl from District 12. She had long white hair and grey eyes. But as always she didn't look happy, not like she should but it's just odd that I haven't seen her at least semi-happy at all in these past few days. For sure though, I'd have to keep my eyes on her in the Games.

...

When it was my turn to 'visit' the Gamemakers I had planned out exactly what I was going to do. I sauntered into the room and shot them a smile which they found amusing because I heard their laughter and quiet comments about how lovely I looked. But it wouldn't be long until they found out I wasn't just 'lovely'. They'd find out how dangerous I really was. I found the weapons corner of the space and rummaged through the various kinds until I came up with a boomerang and a long chain.

After making my way over to the center of the floor, I faced the dummies the trainers had placed around the gym. My stance was quite calm and collected as I brought my left arm back over my shoulder slightly as I launched the boomerang at the nearest dummy. As soon as the curved wooden weapon hit the bag that was its head it tumbled to its side and I stepped forward with my left leg. I arced my right arm upward in a semi-circle and the chain crackled with the sudden movement as it split the dummy open right across where it's chest would be. And just as soon as the fluff came out of the 'body' my boomerang came whistling back through the air toward me. Instinctively I caught it and rolled into a somersault then whipped the boomerang out again and lashed out with the chain.

But this time the boomerang flew wide and around the target. This technique would've distracted any opponent for a short period of time. As for the chain, it wrapped around the dummy's neck and when I jerked the chain back to me it popped the dummy's head straight off. Obviously it wouldn't work quite as easily in the arena but this was all about showing off. And that's what I did for at least five more minutes.

The Gamemakers stopped me right before I was about to throw my boomerang again. One of the older ones held his hand up as a signal for me to stop. He raised his voice and said, "thank you very much for your performance. But we must get on with the day. Goodnight miss," he looked down at a sheet of paper then back up at me. "Goodnight Miss de Vanna."

...

After I was dismissed from the gym Lorelei met me by the elevator and babbled on and on about how the scores come out tomorrow and then the interviews. She kept rambling about how she was going to make me look fabulous as we got to our floor and I headed to my bedroom. It felt as if she was stalking me, possibly she wanted to keep me up all night with her endless chitter chatter. But it ended when I got to my door and slammed it shut in her face. "Goodnight," I say in a dull, monotone voice as I make my way to my bed and fall asleep even before I can change out of the clothes I wore all day.


	5. Chapter 4: Training Scores

_**District 1**_

_**Shine Ventori- 6**_

_**Parker Jacobs- 7**_

_**District 2**_

_**Katerina Emerald- 10**_

_**Gregorio Ryon- 6**_

_**Disctrict 3**_

_**Rockella Breens- **_

_**Herring Sones- **_

_**District 4**_

_**Brenna Casey- 4**_

_**Axel Karnen- 5**_

_**District 5**_

_**Aspen Mayfield- 8**_

_**Creed Shilo- 8**_

_**District 6**_

_**Anastasia Parks- 7**_

_**Zeb Peaks- 3**_

_**District 7**_

_**Blair de Vanna- 9**_

_**Joshua Quentin- 6**_

_**District 8**_

_**Honora Foll- 4**_

_**Ignacio Terence- 6**_

_**District 9**_

_** Elizabeth Saunders- 7**_

_**Lark Barrak-3**_

_**District 10**_

_**Kat Helenbrook- 6**_

_**Dominic Hades-**_

_**District 11**_

_**Gypsy Wesson- 10**_

_**River Lenin- 5**_

_**District 12**_

_**Vanadium Elizaveta- 9**_

_**Clayton Grant- 5**_


	6. Chapter 5: Smile for the Crowd

**Chapter 4: Smile for the Crowd**

Effie woke me up extra early today to get me ready for the interviews as the final step before the Games. She shoos me out of my room into the kitchen where Joshua, Axton and Lorelei are already eating. I sit in an empty seat beside Joshua and an Avox comes over and serves me a plate of delicious looking food. I mouth the words 'thank you' to him to make sure he knows I care. The Avox nods slightly then turns away, knowing that he could be in big trouble knowing that someone is trying to communicate with him.

I start to pick at the cheese covered eggs and the lightly cooked bacon on my plate as Axton begins to talk. "Okay, so today is the day of the interviews. So Joshua and Blair, you'll both be trained today to make sure you can handle talking in front of a crowd this size."

Lorelei continues his speech from there by adding, "So you'll both be spending four hours each with Axton and I to get you ready!"

Silence meets the end of their little speech as I continue to pick at my food and Joshua fiddles around with his fork. After minutes of silence I speak up, "then let's get this over with so we can die already." Shortly after my comment Axton and a few others erupt in a heated argument about how we weren't going to die. But I had other plans. Only one out of twenty-four could win and the odds were NOT in my favor from being just a fifteen-year-old girl from District 7. All I could do was lash a chain around and knock people out with my boomerang, my intention was never to kill anyone. I planned to sit back and let the others - most likely the Careers - kill off my competition. After Axton finally quieted us he took me with him and sent Joshua off to go prepare for the interviews with Lorelei.

...

The day passed by painfully slow, being the last day of our lives out of the arena. I vaguely remember Axton talking about how he wanted me to be quiet and not posing any sort of threat. But this was going to be quite a hard task considering that I had scored relatively high in my session with the Gamemakers.

After spending four grueling hours with Axton on how I would present myself, he led me over to Lorelei where she had previously negotiated with Joshua about what he would wear. Lorelei lead me into a cavernous room which reminded me of her previous workplace, the Remake Center. Other than a few exchanges I made with her I was silent. I just listened to her ramble on and on about one of her stories. All I remember her saying was that she had a husband that was from District 4 and that they were married at exactly this time last year. Another four hours passed and I stood up at Lorelei's request to see the final product.

I was wearing a white skirt that came to the middle of my thighs and had on an auburn colored shirt that was almost the same color as my hair. I think Lorelei was going for the look of a tree in the fall months but it was barely recognizable. My shoes were nice and flat for once so I didn't have to worry about falling over every few seconds. And my hair was done up in tiny braids that fell a few inches above my shoulders. I turned around for Lorelei to examine me in a three-sixty view and she clapped. "Looks like I've just turned myself into another success! Good luck on your interview Blair!"

And those were the last words I heard before I was ushered out onto the stage in the City Circle.

...

Television crews were everywhere and people crowded the streets of the City Circle, the ones who weren't there were squished into back alleys and side streets to watch from huge televisions. All the tributes line up and walk out onto the stage and the crowd let's out cheers for their favorites. I only hear my name once, they mostly call out the names of the Careers.

After sitting down beside Joshua and another tribute from District 6, Caesar Flickerman bounces out onto the stage. He blows kisses and twirls around for his fans while I examine him to see if he's made any changes. I can't see many though except for a different suit and different hair color. His hair was dyed yellow while he wore a red and orange suit which made me think of the sun shining on a summer's day. But what was the same was his face coated in pure white makeup and hairstyle, and he looked the same as he did twenty years ago because of all his plastic surgeries. As always, he tells a few jokes about some of last year's Games then goes on to call up the girl from District 1.

All the interviews pass by quickly, and every three minutes when one finishes I get more and more nervous. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Almost time for me to go. Just the boy from District 6 stands in-between me and the crowd.

The bell finally dings and Caesar motions for me to come over, his smile warms me up a little, but not much. "Blair de Vanna! Come on over!" He says with a smile, "I don't bite."

I take a seat next to him and he starts to go through his routine set of questions. The only question I actually remember him asking me was, "how far do you plan on getting in the games Blair?"

My immediate response was "all the way, I'm going to win." Of course it was, he asked that question to everyone else and got the same answer too. But only one can win and I doubt it will be me. Then Caesar goes on to talk about my spectacular performance with the Gamemakers but I'm not allowed to talk about it so I stay silent. His talking takes up most of my time so I'm glad when the buzzer goes off to signal my exit. He helps me up because I'm no good in heels and leads me back over to my seat where I'm met by Joshua smiling as he passes.


	7. Chapter 6: Beginning of the End

Chapter 5: End of the Beginning

The night before the games was a long one, and I couldn't will myself to fall asleep either, it seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion leading up to the last few hours until the 87th Hunger Games were to begin. I pretended to go to sleep after dinner, so I lay in my bed for a good two hours just staring up at the tall vaulted ceiling. All that time I was trying to plan out my strategy for the Cornucopia. I knew that the Career's would dive in and try to eliminate as much of the competition as possible in that first few moments, so I thought it would be better to stay back and let the Careers do their business. After the initial attacks maybe I could rush in and get as many things as I could, given that the good supplies would be gone, I'd try to get the best I could.

Soon, I got bored of lying still so I swung my legs around and – as quietly as possible – made my way to the big window on the opposite side of the room. Behind the curtains I saw that the window wasn't just a window, it also contained a balcony. After a minute or so of trying to open the door I stepped outside into the night air of the Capitol. The night air swept throughout the corridors of the city and was pushed upward to lightly brush against my cheek. It felt like the world was trying to reassure me it would be alright, but I knew it wouldn't be. Only one tribute could win these games and I couldn't make myself believe that it would be me. So many other tributes had so much more skill than me and so many of them were older, the Careers could kill easily and the girl from District 12 who could camouflage herself into any terrain. But then there was me, even though I got a generally high training score that didn't mean that I was likely to even get past the Cornucopia. The breeze felt as cold as deaths kiss as it brushed lightly against me, and it continued to wrap itself around me until the first light broke through the clouds on the horizon.

Along with the sunbeams came the quiet songs and chirps from the Mockingjays. But nothing else came until two hours later, and that small noise was Lorelei knocking on my door to tell me it was almost time to go.

"I'll be right out Lorelei, don't worry," I call out to her then take in a deep breath. I was ready to get this whole thing over with but I knew that if I went in with that sort of attitude I'd be the lucky tribute that made it through but died a horribly slow death from the Career's torture.

"Take your time sweetie; I know it's a hard day. Well it is for Joshua at least."

I walk over and open the door for her finally and look her straight in the eye, "you have no idea how hard it is Lorelei. Just knowing that you could die in the next few hours is the worst thing you could probably imagine but you're just another Capitol person who has no worries and I bet you actually have _fun _watching the games. Watching twenty-four _children _die and you just forget them the next day."

Lorelei looked a bit taken aback at my revelation but then nods, "I'm sorry Blair. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Don't be sorry for what you don't care about, it's useless." I state firmly then push past her to get some breakfast before leaving to enter the games.

…

All twenty-four of us stood in a large ring around the cornucopia, which was placed on a large, ornate, mosaic with brilliant colors. Around us stood what looked like the ruins of an old city, it could possibly be crafted after District 13 after the uprising that brought it to ruins. Further off in the distance I could see rolling hills covered with lavender flowers and large trees. But to my right there was a huge river which looked almost black as it swirled around in what seemed like whirlpools wanting to swallow each one of us alive.

Standing across from me I saw a small brown haired girl that was from District 4, a Career. She didn't look too harmful, but I had to believe that she was. Next, I saw the girl from District 3, Rocky I believe, she was so confident looking at the moment. Even standing beside some of the Careers she looked even more terrifying than them. I had to make a note not to go anywhere near her, ever. The girl from District 2 looked pretty confident as well, I could almost see her glowing green eyes from across the whole length between us. But the only boy I found not to be looking determined as the others was Dominic, the boy who was trying to flirt with me during the training sessions. His spiky black hair was windblown and he was looking down at the ground, maybe contemplating on whether to run or to go for a few weapons and be killed right then and there. If I were him, I would take off and run. Too bad I wasn't him, because I just knew I had to get something to comfort me during my short time in the arena.

Time ticked down and each time the countdown went to a lower and lower number, time went by so much slower. Those thirty seconds were like a horrible nightmare. Everyone was staring straight forward at the cornucopia, no one looked like they were aware of anything else going on or that everyone else in the arena was planning on doing the same thing.

Apparently the time was too much for the girl from District 8. She stepped off her block too early and she was shot sky-high and the explosion set off the ones next to her. So there went two people right off the bat. Then, I just noticed how close that it was. The District 8 girl was right beside Joshua, and he had been knocked backward from the explosion. But he wasn't dead yet.

That single event set off a chain reaction because straight across the circle, the boy from District 6 jumped off of his circle, killing himself and his partner in that explosion. But during that time, the loud clanging of a bell sent everyone sprinting toward the center of the cornucopia. _The games have started, and may the odds be ever in your favor. _

Joshua was still lying motionlessly near the back of the ring, no one bothered at striking the final blow because he would die anyway.

Of course the Careers got the good stuff too; District 1 partners got to the inside first and came out with a load of swords and small throwing knives. But what surprised me as I dived down low and grabbed a small backpack, then headed around to the back, was that the girl and boy from District 3 ran up behind the District 1 tributes and murdered them right there. Too bad for their lifelong training, I guess it do them any good since they were killed the first hour of the games.

As I ran I could see the lifeless faces of a few more tributes staring back up at me. They would never be able to go back and see their families again but; who's to say that I won't see my family either, only the Capitol can decide that. Screams echoed out behind me and I pushed myself to run faster and eventually I made it to the edge of the city ruins surrounding the cornucopia and I watched more of the madness be unleashed upon the arena.

_**A/N: okay, I'm sincerely sorry for the long wait guys, I just totally lost my inspiration for it. But I promise to update sooner this time! Soo yeah and just to clear everything up, there are eleven Tributes dead.**_

_**District 1: Shine and Parker**_

_**District 4: Brenna**_

_**District 5: Aspen**_

_**District 6: Anastasia and Zeb**_

_**District 8: Honora and Ignacio**_

_**District 9: Lark**_

_**District 11: Gypsy**_

_**District 12: Clayton**_

_**And all who is left are:**_

_**District 2: Katerina and Gregorio**_

_**District 3: Rockella and Herring**_

_**District 4: Axel**_

_**District 5: Creed**_

_**District 7: Blair and Joshua**_

_**District 9: Elizabeth**_

_**District 10: Kat and Dominic**_

_**District 11: River**_

_**District 12: Vanadium**_


	8. Chapter 7: Continuing the Torture

Chapter 6: Continuing the Torture

Once the brutal bloodbath had subsided, I could see the many faces of the tributes I had practiced with just a few days ago. But now almost half of them were dead and there was no more helping them. I began to wonder though from where I sat high up in a tree; _did Joshua make it out alive? _I didn't even check if he was breathing or not when I ran past him.How sad is that? He would've probably come to check on me if he had the choice of running or staying for a moment or two.

So I started to climb down the tree until I heard a harsh whisper from a small girl standing below the tree I was seated in. I saw her grey eyes almost piercing my soul before looking away, becoming distracted by her snowy hair. "If I were you I'd just go Blair. Your friend Joshua is dead and the Careers are coming soon."

"How'd you know that's what I was thinking?"

"How can it not be what you were thinking Blair?" The girl replies back with a small smirk on her face. I could tell that she definitely knew what she was doing.

"Fine, okay. Thanks for the heads up anyway. It's getting darker too; maybe you should go and find shelter or something, if you don't plan on killing me that is."

The girl, whose name I just remembered as Vanadium, rolls her eyes then laughs. "Don't you think I would've killed you already if that was my intention?" Before I could answer her, she put her finger over her lips to indicate silence as two sets of loud footsteps came closer and closer. I maneuvered myself around to the other side of the tree and let the two tributes pass. Once I thought it was safe enough, I turned back around to find Vanadium gone. And maybe, I would never see her again.

…

Later that night, just before the sun was going to set on the first day in the arena, I heard the clashing of metal on metal and loud taunts coming from the east. And sure enough, curiosity took over and I made my way toward that general direction, just wondering who it could be. Another death would make it more than half today from the bodies I counted earlier when I went back to the cornucopia to pick up any remaining useful things. There were only a few things left anyway, but I found some food and, one of my favorites, I found a long chain that I could definitely use as an offensive weapon. All the other tributes had seen that I could use a chain like it was a lightweight whip, so why would they leave it? Maybe I'm just lucky.

The ruined city landscape only made it harder to get around and see what was going on all the time, but no doubt those Gamemakers had cameras everywhere. I wish I could just find one and tell them exactly what was going on and how cruel this actually was. As soon as I was close enough to see the faces from the dueling tributes I stopped. One was a Career, most likely from District 2 and that would narrow it down to the boy. I think his name is Herring, but who knows or cares really. Everyone out here were just savages now, we aren't even people anymore. But Herring was pounding the smaller tribute, who was a slender girl, with multiple blows from his sword.

"Never! Never touch Rocky again! Do you hear me? You will never live to see another day if you even _look _at her!" Herring shouts then delivers another blow with is sword. The small girl whose name I didn't know yelps then falls to the ground with the sheer force of Herring's blows.

"You get her Herring!"

"Kill her!"

The small crowd standing behind Herring shouts then taunts the smaller girl. After another few minutes of the torturous manner, Herring delivers the final blow and the girl gives a sharp terrified scream before becoming silent.

"Another one down, and another point for the Careers! Good job Herring!" Rockella says with a smirk. "But too bad little fisher girl and the District 1 tributes weren't careful. Maybe we _could've _killed all of them today."

…

As I was headed back to my shelter after watching the Careers murder the small blonde haired girl from District 9, I heard a rustling from beside me. A second later I found myself face to face with a girl about my height with glowing emerald eyes. Small throwing knives were tucked into her jacket and a dagger was held in her hand. Most of her face was also outlined in darkness too because of her dark brown hair that fell in loose waves down her face. "Going somewhere girly?" she asks with a smirk on her face.

"Going to watch you die," I growl at her then take a step back, quickly lashing out at her with the chain.

"Do you not know that I, Katerina Emerald, am going to win? You have no chance girly. You still have to beat all of us Careers. You have absolutely _no _chance." She says then cries out as the chain hits her leg. After regaining her balance, Katerina takes a deep breath then whips two of her knives straight at my chest.

…

After feeling the impact, I saw someone jump over me because now I was lying on the ground motionlessly. That someone had dark spiky hair and even in the dark I could tell it was my _friend _from District 10, Dominic. He swung his sword around, aiming to decapitate Katerina right then and there, but she ducked and another hiss from a sword came to meet Dominic's swing. "Now would be a good time to go Blair!" Dominic shouts at me and I immediately try to get up. The impact that I felt earlier must have just been him shoving me to the ground because there was no blood on my clothing and the knives had lodged themselves in a tree that was a few yards behind me. Without a backwards glance, I hurried away from the scene, not even wondering if Dominic could make it out alive. Selfish right?

…

Later with the sounding of the nightly cannon, I found that Dominic had certainly died protecting me from harm. Another one notified me that Dominic's partner, Kat, had died also. All I could imagine was maybe she had been following him and went to see if he was really dead and the Career alliance had ambushed her. Next, I saw the face of the poor girl who I saw the Careers killed in the middle of the day. Then, there was Joshua. Vanadium was right, he was dead. I had no doubts that he was killed because no one wanted to help him and the sponsors saw no point in trying to save a half dead boy who couldn't even make it a hundred yards away from the cornucopia. But what Vanadium never told me was that she had been the one to strike the final blow that ultimately killed my partner.

…

In the middle of the night, Axton and Lorelei reran the tapes of today's games from their room on the seventh story of the building. Axton shook his head the whole time, muttering to himself about how careless Blair was and how she could've helped Joshua to live another day. "Now there's no hope in winning this year's games. Joshua was our best shot and the girl doesn't have a chance. She would be dead too if the boy from District 10 didn't sacrifice himself to save her."

"There's nothing you can do about it Axton. If she wins she wins, and if she dies, she dies. It's not like you actually care about these children. You never do," Lorelei says while still staring at the television screen replaying the Careers murdering the small blonde haired girl.

Axton's reply is just a shake of his head as he switches the channel to see what Caesar Flickerman had to say about the first day.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Wasn't today a quick one? The games might be over sooner than ever before this year because of the quick work of the Career tributes and their sheer strength!" Caesar says with a loud laugh to get the crowd riled up. "And what do you say about that poor District 7 girl? She's a sad little one. Having two of the boys she spent time with die today! Just imagine how sad she feels! Someone help that poor loveless soul!"

Axton stares in disbelief at the screen for a moment before hearing Lorelei's quiet laugh. "So you're trying to bribe people now aren't you Lorelei?"

"Of course Ax. I want one of ours to win this year even if it is against the odds."

_**A/N: A few more people dead now, how nice is that? Well here's the ultimate count now. Eleven were killed in the last chapter and we add four more to that mix (Elizabeth, Joshua, Kat and Dominic) so, fifteen down and nine to go. Please review and maybe even post your opinion of who might win. Give me a shout if you don't think I'm portraying your character right though! Because I want to make everyone happy with this story! Also, thanks to 3o Seconds to Mars for giving me inspiration through their songs! (Wow, and quick update right… I just had to get another one in to be sure y'all were happy. I'm leaving for a trip until next Monday so I'll update again sometime next week!)**_


	9. Chapter 8: Coming to an End

Chapter 7: Coming to an End

The everlasting darkness had not lifted for more than two days, and miraculously there had also been no deaths in that time. The three Career tributes that were still in this were using the cover of darkness to plan their next strategic move, and I had no doubt that it was to eliminate each and every one of the rest of the tributes before they turned on themselves and a victor was crowned. My best bet on who would win the whole games this year was Katerina. The girl who had attacked me. The girl who had taken Dominic down because she was trying to get at me.

All I had to do at the moment was wait for the end. I knew I couldn't win this time. I had no alliances, except for Vanadium maybe. But she was nowhere to be found in the darkness either, I just knew she wasn't gone yet because her cannon had not gone off, signaling her death. The number of deaths in just two or three days astounded me though, like it probably amazed the whole of Panem. Fifteen deaths in the three days and that was more than half, this was definitely not a good way to start this. The Capitol, the president, everyone was probably not happy with the way it was playing out because their _entertainment factor _was being cut too short and this was the only one they get this year. And for us that means that the gamemakers will probably drag this out for as long as it can go to keep everyone watching and get as much entertainment out of this experience as possible, even if that means torturing us more than they already are. Already in this darkness there had been collapses of the ruined city and screams emanated from the forest to the right of me in the last twenty-four hours. Well, again with my negative thinking, consider me dead.

…

A small boy from District 11 who looked no more than thirteen years old wandered past where I was sitting. The tall oak tree gave me some shelter but its roots gave me no reprieve from the scouring gaze of the boy. Eventually, he spotted me and I struck out with my steel chain. The boy caught the end of it but I jumped up as he pulled, making the motion useless on his part. As he tried to swing a punch at me I ducked and rolled under him and quickly wrapped the chain around his neck, choking him. He kept struggling and then cried out for help, which was quickly cut off when I clamped my hand over his mouth. I could see the terror in his eyes, he would never go back to his family like twenty-three others who would never even make it out of this arena. But the fear in his eyes almost made me stop my attack. How could I be so heartless and kill a boy who had not even lived life yet? Damn the Capitol for putting us through this. This wasn't entertainment. This was slaughter.

His struggles got weaker and weaker as I pulled the chain tighter around his neck. I could see spots of red around where the chain was digging in the most. The whites of his eyes were slowly growing larger and the life in those bright hazel eyes was beginning to fade. That light will never come back to any of our eyes.

And the torture I must be putting everyone from his District through. He was their last hope of winning. His family will hate me forever, for killing their baby. Their baby boy who will never get the chance to marry and carry on his family name.

After a minute or two had gone by, I held the boy's limp body in my arms and gently laid him down on the dark ground. Unwrapping my chain from his neck, I heard two sets of footsteps coming closer and before I had time to do anything else, I bolted back into the undergrowth and used the dark obscurity to cover myself.

…

"Rockella? Are you awake or not?" Herring asked with a hushed tone. It was almost as if he knew something bad was going to happen. And just as he said it, the District 11 boy's cannon sounded with horrible loudness. It pierced the dark oblivion that they were trapped in like a lightning strike shot itself down from the heavens.

"Now I am," a whispering voice replies to him a bit harshly. "Everyone probably is because that's the first cannon we've heard in close to two days."

"Well you don't have to be so rude about it."

"Then don't try and wake me up before I do myself, because that's a big mistake and you won't make it to the last two or so if you do it again." Rocky replies sharply before turning back on her side, away from Herring to try and go back to sleep.

Herring then is left alone with his thoughts. _Maybe he was never meant to win—but he definitely did not want to be taken down by the one he loved. _He then got up and walked away from where he and Rocky had taken shelter near the outskirts of the city that was reduced to ruins. Silently, he took his short curved sword from a hook he created in his clothing and takes a deep breath. _I will never see the light of day again. But this is a sacrifice I will take willingly to ensure that Rocky will win. Good luck, my love._

And with those final thoughts, Herring thrust the sword up into his chest and falls to his knees, smiling up at the small amount of stars you could see in this godforsaken arena.

**District 2: Katerina and Gregorio**

**District 3: Rockella**

**District 4: Axel**

**District 5: Creed**

**District 7: Blair **

**District 12: Vanadium**

_**All of those (seven tributes) are still left, sorry for the horribly short chapter but I couldn't really do much more with it. I was really distracted and I fractured my pinky finger because of a soccer incident. I'll promise to make the next chapter longer guys! Thanks for continuing to read and make sure to check out my new Hunger Games story that I'm going to start after this one!**_


	10. Chapter 9: Seven is a Cursed Number

_**Ok guys, well this is the last arena chapter that i will do, which means that this is almost the end! and i apologize in advance if you're mad that a certain character doesn't win, i tried to make it interesting, but anyway, below is the list of who is left and have fun reading.**_

**District 2: Katerina and Gregorio**

**District 3: Rockella**

**District 4: Axel**

**District 5: Creed**

**District 7: Blair **

**District 12: Vanadium**

* * *

><p><em>(Blair's POV)<em>

Seven is a number that has to be cursed. Nothing good has happened to me or my District because of that. We are just the lumberjacks, the ones no one thinks can win. The ones who are full of brute force and headstrong people, but we never win.

And one other sad instance of the _lucky _number seven not winning is right now. Joshua had been one of the first to go in these games and he was the one that Axton and Lorelei, my Districts over lookers, favored. They favored him because he was fast, strong, intelligent, and because they saw that he could survive better than me in these kinds of situations.

…

When the eternal night finally ended, I heard a heart wrenching scream coarse through the morning air. We must have all been sleeping and not heard the cannon of another tribute that had died just hours before the endless night ended. I wondered who it could possibly be, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was _not _a Career. They were all strong and just would not die until it came down to only them. So that only leaves four of us in the mix. Either it was one of the tributes from District 3, the boy from District 5 whose name is Creed, or Vanadium. I guess though we just have to wait until the night to see whose face appears in the sky.

Those poor unfortunate kids who died just a few days before the end of the games just seem horrible. And those poor Districts who watch their tributes die in the midst of all this turmoil, just from the District 13 uprising seventy-four years ago. Why can't people just forgive and forget? Maybe it's because no one has the guts to admit it was their fault, or that it was their bad idea to start any of this.

…

But now, a new day possibly meant another death of one of the next generation. A rustling came from the side of the shelter I had built near the edge of the ruined city. I pushed deeper into the back of the bricks and saw the face of the tall, dark haired boy from District 2. His deep brown eyes looked like black holes as he came closer and closer.

"Little lumber jack… I know you're in here. Come on out and play with me," Gregorio coos at me, laughing almost hysterically as he came ever closer.

At that moment I chose to spring at him. I whipped the chain out at his neck and tried to choke him like I did to that other little boy before the darkness settled around us. He narrowly avoided the chain and then grabbed it, pulling me closer to him just as the other boy did, but more effectively. His strength easily outmatched mine, and probably anyone else's in the arena. I saw his knife flash out as he held it to my throat, locking me against his chest with one strong arm.

"You're eyes are so pretty, too bad they have to get wasted in this godforsaken arena. I would've taken you back with me to my home. You could've been mine little Blair. But you had to be chosen to compete with me. Wrong choice pretty girl."

"If you plan on killing me, do it already." I demand of him just before his hold tightens causing me to choke and get quiet. And as I said, he honored my wishes and slid the tip of his knife across my neck and blood welled up, almost bubbling as he held on tighter and kept speaking to me.

"Your family will be so disappointed. You were probably supposed to win weren't you? Your sponsors had faith in you. And I ended everything. And I put on a show with it to, everyone from District 2 will be cheering while the ones for District 7 will be screaming their hearts out and hating the second district until next year's games."

The mention of the games will certainly be the last that I hear of them for the rest of my life. The sound of his voice will be the last I hear, and the last face I will see also. His deep eyes faded from my vision as it turned to black and I fell into the abyss of eternal sleep.

…

_(Creed's POV)_

A small boy from District 5 walked along stealthily as yet another canon went off and signaled another death. His light brown, almost blond, hair shone in the bright light of noon as the darkness faded from the entire arena. His almost cybernetic looking eyes glinted in the sunlight also as he held his spear close to his body, ready to spring though at any little creature or person who showed in his path. Creed Shilo had only gotten a final score of eight in the training and no one expected him to win, he was a true underdog because of his small stature. But underneath all of that shyness and insecurity was a strong seventeen year old that could, and would, win these games.

He had killed a few of the other tributes during the bloodbath and quickly gained sponsors for that reason. Also, his trainer had also been very good at being seductive and making the sponsors switch alliances and turn to Creed's aid. There was nothing now that could stop him from winning except the brute force of one-on-one combat.

Just like now. The District 4 boy had just walked out of the bushes from around the side of a ruined building. And with one quick stroke of his arm, his spear got embedded into Axel's heart, killing him immediately. Creed was only eighteen; he had gone seven years without being picked for the games, but now, even though he was a District 5 kid he was almost as good as a Career. And he had been counting on this moment; he counted each one of the faces that he had seen up in the almost forever darkened sky. Twenty faces had shown up in the past few weeks, and that meant that only four remained. He had a twenty-five percent chance of winning now. And winning was everything.

…

Five more days came and went, and only one died, and it was from infection. The one who died was Gregorio, making each one of us have a twenty-five percent chance of victory now. Such a shame that someone would die so pitifully in the end though; his sponsors obviously didn't care much that he was dying. And you can't die right overnight from infection, it always has to spread and there are people watching us every day now, every minute, every second.

We were all alone now, no more partners, no alliances. It was every man for himself. Just until a loud unknown voice boomed across the arena, _"you will each have an hour to get to the clearing near the center of the ruined city. If you do not arrive, you will be eliminated."_

After the announcement, I took off running toward the specified area. I heard screams coming from beside me and then the sound of cannon.

…

_(Rockella's POV)_

What had just happened was that Rockella and Vanadium basically ran into each other and then began fighting. The bigger girl, who was Rockella just managed to whip her knives out before the little white haired girl could even happen to think about getting her axe from her back. Vanadium's death came quickly by her hand and Katerina didn't even bother to whisper goodbye to her. She was emotionless, nothing surpassed her insanity that had been brought up by Herring's death. He had killed himself for her, and she knew it. She would do everything she could to win; because all that stood in her way now were two other people. An eighteen year old boy from District 5 and another Career tribute just like herself from District 2. And the girl from 2 was the same age so they should be evenly matched. Her plan right then was to team up with Katerina and eliminate Creed and then turn on her, making sure she was the one to take most of the beating from Creed's fight to the death, weakening her before she could strike the final blow.

But things didn't turn out as planned. Creed, Katerina and I had all ended up on different sides of the clearing. Immediately, the plan in my head changed and I told myself: _Let Katerina take care of Creed then sneak up behind her and give the final blow. Or… Everyone to the center then battle it out every man for himself before it gets to one-on-one. _

…

_(Creed's POV)_

The girls and I both walked out, nearing the center of the clearing. I waited for my perfect moment before striking out with my spear, Katerina was only a few yards away when the tip embedded itself in her neck. And after watching her fall to the ground I saw Rockella out the corner of my eye as I continued to stare at the crimson stream beginning to form around Katerina's almost lifeless body.

Rockella's knife lodged itself into my shoulder as I began to turn to face her. And I had no choice but to pull it out because my weapon was still embedded in Katerina. I lunged forward and tucked myself into a somersault as I rolled on my shoulder, ending up at her feet. With a sharp kick to her knee, I had her down on the ground with me. Her blue eyes stared up at me coldly as I held her own weapon to her throat. "You'll be back with your lover now," I whisper in her ear and lower the knife so it's hovering over her heart.

"He wanted me to win. Not die like a pathetic little girl." I hear Rockella growl back at me, but if she made any move whatsoever, the knife would plunge straight into her heart. So there was no escape unless I allowed it. And I wouldn't allow any of it, I was going to go home and see my family again, see my friends, my love; have my life back. Not her.

"You were made to die like this." I reply in a whisper before plunging the knife into her heart. The sound of my victory came when her cannon exploded through the air and rang out among the now empty arena. Only I was left, only me, life was now mine. I had won it back.

The same voice that had called out to us to gather at the clearing boomed around me. "Ladies and gentlemen! We have our winner of the 87th Hunger Games. The one and only, Creed Shilo from District 5!"


End file.
